The Alpha 7 ($1,699.99 direct, body only)$1,698.00 at Amazon is one of a pair of new full-frame mirrorless cameras from Sony. Aside from the model badge, it looks the same as its twin, the Alpha 7R£1,258.79 at SlrHut, but the two cameras are quite different internally. The Alpha 7 is built for speed thanks to a 24-megapixel image sensor with on-chip phase detect autofocus sensors and a 5fps burst shooting rate. The camera is impressive and a joy to use, but we give the edge to the 36-megapixel Alpha 7R, which earns our Editors' Choice award for full-frame mirrorless cameras. For an extra $600 you sacrifice just a little bit of speed, but gain a 50 percent increase in image resolution and a images that are critically sharp thanks to a sensor design that omits the low pass filter.
Build
Quite compact when you consider its full-frame image sensor, the Alpha 7 measures just 3.75 by 5 by 1.9 inches (HWD) and weighs about a pound without a lens. The Leica M (Typ 240)$7,250.00 at Amazon, the first full-frame mirrorless camera with Live View, measures 3.1 by 5.5 by 1.7 inches, but is heavier at 1.5 pounds. The Leica gets some of its extra weight from its brass construction and optical viewfinder; the Alpha 7's extra height is due to its built-in OLED EVF. The body itself is sealed against dust and moisture; I had no issues shooting in lighter rain. Lenses don't have an o-ring gasket around the mount, so I'd be a little wary of using the camera in very heavy rain.
The Alpha 7 uses the same E-mount to attach lenses as previous Sony NEX cameras, including the NEX-6$649.99 at Crutchfield.com, which uses an APS-C image sensor. An APS-C sensor is physically smaller than the 35mm full-frame image sensor housed in the Alpha 7's svelte body. It's possible to use older lenses for NEX cameras that only cover an APS-C image circle; the Alpha 7 will automatically crop images to match the APS-C sensor size when these lenses are attached. Lenses designed for the full-frame Alpha 7 and 7R bear an FE designation.
